Both Uses of
tartar
in
A Midsummer Night's Dream
- PUCK I go, I go; look how I go,— Swifter than arrow from the Tartar's bow.†
Scene 3.2 *
- out, tawny Tartar, out!†
Scene 3.2
Definitions:
-
(1)
(tartar as in: tartar on the teeth) calcified deposits on the teeth, formed by the continuous presence of dental plaque (also called calculous)
-
(2)
(meaning too common or rare to warrant focus) Do not confuse this with the proper noun, Tartar, which references a central Asian people once known for their ferocity in battle.
The expression tartar sauce refers to a mayonnaise-based sauce commonly served with seafood and sometimes spelled tartare sauce. You may also see steak tartar in reference to a ground beef dish that is eaten raw; though the preferred spelling of the dish is steak tartare.
Much more rarely, tartar can reference anyone with a bad temper, or it can reference a reddish crust or sediment in wine casks.